Gleeman and The Geek

Aaron Gleeman and John Bonnes

Minnesota Twins Talk with Aaron Gleeman and John Bonnes. For more, including midweek, episodes, check out https://www.patreon.com/Gleeman.

  1. 3 days ago

    It's Now Or Never for the Twins

    Aaron and John talk about the Twins' dwindling playoff chances with three weeks left, Byron Buxton admitting he'll eventually need hip surgery, Joe Ryan nearing a return, first impressions of Walker Jenkins, and takeaways from the Angels selling for $4 billion. 0:00 Intro 0:48 Twenty-two games left and a 3-3 homestand that wasn't enough 2:02 Playoff odds at nine percent, and the 14-8 finish they'd need 4:30 Resilient, or unable to handle success 6:38 Trying to avoid a third straight second-half collapse under an all-new regime 9:45 Now or never, starting with the White Sox in Chicago 11:47 The early-season bullpen and infield defense that cost them 13:00 Opponents' bad defense has handed the Twins 20-plus runs 14:33 The bad bullpen was the plan, and the plan worked 20:34 Byron Buxton says he needs hip surgery 23:48 When playing through pain stops helping the team 27:08 The 2023 knee surgery that bought Buxton three good years 32:17 First impressions of Walker Jenkins after a week 35:23 Why Culpepper hit right away and Jenkins hasn't 40:26 Why Jenkins is batting ninth, and where he belongs later 42:51 Watching a pennant race and the future at the same time 46:54 The last times the Twins got to do both at once 51:32 Garrett Acton up, Ben Ross up, Kyler Fedko released 55:43 Shelton explains why Emmanuel Rodriguez stayed at Triple-A 1:02:42 Joe Ryan's rehab start, and whether he skips the second one 1:08:51 What the final three weeks do to Joe Ryan's trade value 1:11:03 Connor Prielipp's workload, and stuff that hasn't faded 1:14:45 Andrew Morris opens a game, and his future in the bullpen 1:20:25 Matt Canterino pitches for the first time since 2022 1:26:00 The Angels sell for $4 billion after twenty years of failure 1:26:45 What the Padres sale should teach Tom Pohlad 1:31:40 Are the Twins suddenly worth $2.3 billion? 1:38:35 Back Monday on Patreon

  2. 28 Aug

    Walker Jenkins Time

    Aaron and John talk about the Twins calling up top prospect Walker Jenkins, why Byron Buxton's hip injury was the biggest factor, what to expect from the 21-year-old consensus top-10 prospect, and the team's shrinking playoff window after a brutal road trip. 0:00 Walker Jenkins is coming up! It's an Emergency! 2:17 Twins playoff odds fall from 40% to 10% after a 1-5 West Coast trip 5:33 Byron Buxton and Miguel Sanó in 2015 — which debut does Jenkins resemble? 8:49 Kaelen Culpepper set the bar for what a great three weeks looks like 10:17 Resiliency, or an inability to build on anything? 12:37 White Sox and Tigers at home: now or never in the AL Central 14:11 The call-up is about Byron Buxton's hip, not Jenkins' bat 15:57 The Triple-A prospect wave that injuries wiped out 22:44 Ticket sales, attendance and a packed press box for the debut 25:30 Luke Keaschall in center field has been rough 29:14 Jenkins' defense and the young Max Kepler defensive scouting report 34:18 Debunking the 40-man roster and lockout excuse for keeping Jenkins down 35:48 365 days at Triple-A: Jenkins has more experience than you think 38:39 The best Twins prospect since Buxton, and how few holes are in his game 50:46 Why Walker Jenkins' swing looks like Joe Mauer's 1:00:42 Target Field is a tough park for left-handed power 1:05:27 What's a good baseline for Jenkins?  1:06:59 Buxton, Mauer, Rivas, Guzmán, Ortiz: the five Twins to play at 21 years old 1:15:24 When does playing hurt stops being selfless? 1:19:00 The roster math: Buxton, Alex Jackson or Alan Roden — pick two 1:25:39 Joe Ryan is nearing a rehab assignment 1:27:14 Emmanuel Rodriguez is healthy, hot, and out of options 1:32:34 Vahn Lackey promoted to High-A after passing the lemon test 1:39:43 Aaron on the Dane Moore show — and the Jonathan Kuminga timing

  3. 21 Aug

    Twins' Playoff Push Starts Now

    Aaron and John talk about the Twins' having a playoff spot there for the taking with six weeks left, why the rotation desperately needs first-half Joe Ryan back, the dramatic in-season bullpen turnaround, why Alex Jackson is such an uninspired choice for a roster spot, and what lessons Tom Pohlad can learn from the Padres. 0:44 Swept by the Phillies, then a sweep of the Braves 2:32 Where things stand: 63-65 with 34 games left 3:32 Twins hold the final AL wild card spot — 40% playoff odds 4:20 Fourth-easiest remaining schedule in baseball 5:04 The seven-team wild card logjam 5:56 Tiebreakers: the Twins have them over almost everyone 8:14 AL Central odds and the six games left vs. the White Sox 12:16 Why the AL playoff field is wide open 15:52 What this season still has to accomplish 21:14 Last August's fire sale and the joylessness of a lost season 25:43 The rotation is the problem: worst ERA in the AL since the break 29:46 This rotation could really use Joe Ryan 35:06 Kendry Rojas as rotation depth at Triple-A 36:16 Derek Shelton's quicker hook 40:53 The bullpen is now the strength of the team 43:34 Reading the Opening Day bullpen out loud, one disaster at a time 52:17 Luke Keaschall is back to his rookie form 58:00 Royce Lewis and the shortage of right-handed bats 1:00:29 Why not Walker Jenkins? 1:01:39 The Alex Jackson move: DFA'd, cleared waivers, recalled two hours later 1:06:57 Byron Buxton isn't 100%, and Jenkins is a real center fielder 1:09:47 John pushes back: where do the at-bats come from? 1:16:52 Kaelen Culpepper's first 10 games 1:22:00 Attendance is down 83,000  1:27:23 What Tom Pohlad should take from the Padres sale 1:36:32 The 2023 payroll cut and kneecapped a five-year plan 1:42:07 Coming up: Padres, A's, then 15 straight vs. the AL Central

  4. 5 Aug

    Grading the Twins' Trade Deadline

    Aaron and John recap the Twins' trade deadline moves to add Jeff Hoffman, A.J. Minter, and Dean Kremer, speculate about the moves they didn't make while keeping the lineup intact with Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach, and wonder what's wrong with Joe Ryan. 0:00 Family Feud, Steve Harvey and we got a good one for you today 2:06 Twins add Jeff Hoffman, AJ Minter and Dean Kremer at the trade deadline 3:51 Twins slip below .500 while the AL wild card race stays wide open 5:35 Front office and ownership did their part — now the players have to play 7:52 A rebuilt bullpen is useless if you can't build the bridge to it 10:44 Tom Pohlad in Kansas City: payroll will rise, trust takes longer 14:14 Aaron gets punched in the shoulder by Tom Pohlad 15:51 The looming lockout and a possible $150 million payroll floor 20:08 Toronto sends $3.75 million to cover Jeff Hoffman's 2027 salary 22:14 Jeff Hoffman under control for 2027 at $7 million is the real prize 23:35 AJ Minter was the no-brainer; Dean Kremer cost a premium 24:53 Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani go to the Mets for AJ Minter 27:45 Johnnardo Reyes, the 19-year-old given up for Dean Kremer 29:15 Dasan Hill headlines the Jeff Hoffman package to Toronto 31:41 Why the Twins traded low-minors upside instead of Double-A depth 36:10 Grading the deadline 39:24 A thin right-handed bat market 45:13 Get to know Jeff Hoffman 49:00 Losing the closer job to Louie Varland — the strangest domino of the fire sale 49:40 Why Hoffman's ERA lies: 97 mph, a 50 percent whiff slider, 12.3 strikeouts per nine 54:00 Why Shelton keeps Gomez as closer and uses Hoffman earlier 58:19 Dean Kremer and the 2024 scars: Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, rotation question marks 1:06:30 The trade that died: Trevor Larnach to Houston for Bryan Abreu, nixed by Jim Crane 1:11:37 Trevor Larnach's arbitration raise and his offseason trade market 1:13:19 Ryan Jeffers stays as the Rays and Red Sox pay up for catchers 1:16:01 The qualifying offer case: pay Ryan Jeffers $24 million next year 1:19:17 No bats added — Josh Bell, Larnach and the lineup stay intact 1:21:06 Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins and Byron Buxton's hip 1:27:39 The bullpen remodel: Hoffman, Gomez, Morris, Minter and Tommy Nance 1:29:38 Joe Ryan's discouraging start against the Royals 1:31:37 A 3.17 first-half ERA and a 4.93 second-half ERA — the most extreme split in Twins history 1:32:11 Joe Ryan's cryptic quotes and performance 1:36:25 Dead arm or something worse?  1:39:45 Why selling Joe Ryan stopped being an option once his trade value cratered 1:41:41 Joe Ryan's performance also affects the offseason.  1:44:51 Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton matter more than the entire deadline 1:48:56 Field of Dreams game in Iowa, Patreon Q&A Friday, and a wide-open American League

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Minnesota Twins Talk with Aaron Gleeman and John Bonnes. For more, including midweek, episodes, check out https://www.patreon.com/Gleeman.